I believe that there is no profession as important and noble than

teaching. Every one of us is the product of teaching, and can think of a

time when a teacher has inspired us through grace, skill, humor and

abundant care. It is the teacher who molds a child into what he or she

will be in the future. Each and every day we have the power and

influence to change the future by sharing out talents and skills through

planting seeds of knowledge in our students. Teachers have the ability

to inspire lifelong learning, a passion for knowledge, understanding,

and innovation.

Our profession requires the best and the brightest, wisest, and

most motivated people. It is with great pride that I welcome all of the

new teachers into our district. I look forward to celebrating many

successes with you throughout your career as a teacher.

SPECIAL EDITION 2015 Volume 13 Issue 1

CTA SNIPPETShttp://corningta.ny.aft.org/

LeslieVarga,Mentor Program Coordinator

NewTeacher Edition

SPECIAL EDITION 2015 Volume 13 Issue 1

CTA SNIPPETShttp://corningta.ny.aft.org/

Teaching: A kick-in-the-pants, joyous, noble, gut-wrenching odyssey that only those who have done it understand. After all, those who

can…teach!

As you begin your career in the CPPSD, here is some wit and wisdom:

advice from your CTA brothers and sisters!

*********************************************************************************

Start a 403 B NOW! Stock up on Airborne

When it comes to social media…..if you can’t say anything nice; say nothing at all Pick up stray pencils in the hall. Collect them in a basket and loan them to unprepared students in your class. Prioritize the endless list of "to do" things". What will make me feel less frantic? Doing my plans for the week ahead or putting up a bulletin board? The answer might vary from week to week but asking the question helps!

It's important to remember how much we can learn from our students, colleagues, parents, etc. "We all have something to teach, and we all have something to learn." Get involved with your union

Maximize your instructional power by putting your students to work—use classroom

helpers or “employees” to run the room so you are free to focus on what you do best—

teach! You are going to change these kids’ lives forever—FOR THE BETTER. It’s a magical profession, so…..go out there and give it your best. You GOT THIS!

WELCOME ABOARD, NEW TEACHERS. WE ARE PROUD TO CALL YOU COLLEAGUES.

--Corning Teachers’ Association

Welcome to Corning-Painted Post School District

Don Allen

David Blouin

Stephanie Bond

Melissa Brenzo

Diane Brown

Sarah Chiffy

Margaret Clark

Julie Collier

Sherri Freestone

Katie Gray

Kristie Haberstroh

Erich Hansen

Charles Havens

Tammi Hoffman

Linda Jankowski

Allison Kitner

Heather LeeAmanda Mase

Adam McCawley

Michelle Mendez

Yvonee Moses

Lexi Scialdone

Lauren Shafer

Heather Shupp

Sagrario Simon-Rueda

Anne Walters

Jessica Wenck

Christopher Winch

David Woodard

Chelsea Xidis

Stephanie Bond, Middle School

Stephanie Bond is our New Physical

Education Teacher at Corning Painted Post

Middle School. She is a graduate of SUNY

Brockport and attended Watkins Glen

School District. Stephanie is a great

addition to our PE Staff; she is kind, caring

and hardworking. Students really enjoy

having her for a teacher, they respond well

to her energy and enthusiasm. Stephanie

has also decided to become an Intramural

Coach for the After School Intramurals

Program, she will soon start leading

students to a healthier lifestyle with her

Fitness Room activities. I am very excited

to see what the future holds for Stephanie

as a Physical Educator.

By Jenn Santobianco-Burrell

Melissa Brenzo, Middle School

Melissa Brenzo comes to the Corning-

Painted Post Middle School from the GST

BOCES Bush Campus where she taught in

a special education classroom for students

with emotional disturbances. Melissa is

teaching in the 8:1:2 Autism classroom at

the Middle School. She is a native of

Horseheads and graduated in 2005. She

attended Mansfield and Elmira college to

receive degrees in Education and Literacy.

As a Raider, Melissa was a member of the

swimming and diving team throughout her

school years. For the last three years

Melissa has coached the modified girls and

boys swimming and diving teams for the

district. She has also been a coach for the

River Rats. Outside of school Melissa

enjoys yoga, going to the gym, shopping,

and spending time with family at their lake

cottage. She has a dog (puggle) and a cat.

Melissa is the oldest of three girls. If you

see Melissa, welcome her to the district.

By Emily Morse

Diane Brown,

High School

Please welcome Diane

Brown! She has been

hired as a 12:1:1 Academic

Delay teacher in the High

School. She comes to us

with 22 years of experience.

Prior to getting hired with

the C-PP School District,

she experienced many

different roles in the field of

Special Education while

living in Charlotte, North

Carolina. Although she

spent the last 20+ years

down South, she is an East

High graduate. She just

recently moved back to the

Corning area.

Outside of school, Diane

enjoys spending time with

her daughter, who is a

sophomore at the C-PP High

School. When she is not

spending quality time with

daughter, she is creating

lessons for her students.

She has already proven

herself as being “ALL IN”.

By Candelyn Tong

\

Julie Collier,

Erwin Valley

Erwin Valley Elementary

School would like to

welcome our newest first

grade teacher to the EV

Pride. Julie Collier was a

former first grade teacher in

the Jasper-Troupsburg

School District before

starting her family with

husband, Michael.

Once her children were

elementary age, Julie was

ready to come back to the

classroom. She worked as a

Teaching Assistant in

Kirsten Shepard Reeve’s

room at Calvin Smith.

When Julie isn’t hard at

work planning engaging

lessons for her first grade

class, she can be found

hiking in the Adirondacks

with her two children –

Madelyn and Carson and

husband Michael. By Suzan

Reynolds

Sarah Chiffy,

Middle School

C-PP Middle School

would like to welcome

Sarah Chiffy our new 6th

grade French teacher. Sarah

originally from Watertown,

has come to us from

Syracuse University where

she not only received her

degree to become a teacher,

but also earned a degree in

archaeology that she is very

proud of.

Sarah enjoys DIY

projects when she allows

herself time to relax, but

admits she is a bit of a

workaholic.

By Audrey Tuttle

Margie Clark, Winfield

Winfield Elementary School is proud to

welcome, Margie Clark to their teaching

staff. Margie is an experienced Special

Education Teacher who will be co-teaching

with Lauren Panzarino in fifth grade.

Margie has played a wide variety of roles

as a special education teacher in our region

over the last 12 years. She has been a

consultant teacher (Campbell-Savona), but

her most favorite role is student advocate

and cheerleader. She believes all students

can learn!

Lauren and Margie have been putting

their heads together and making plans for a

great year! We are lucky to have her at

Winfield and I am proud to call her my

friend.

By Wendy Amin

Sheri Freestone,

High School

Sheri Freestone is a new French teacher

in the High School. Sheri was born in

England but grew up in California. She has

traveled to many places and has studied at

the University of New Mexico,

the Université de Savoie in France, and the

University of Binghamton.

She has spent quite a bit of time living

in France as she enjoyed a summer in La

Rochelle, and even taught English for a

year in Angoulême.

Sherri enjoys singing, playing the piano

and reading. Sheri has proven herself to be

hard working and creative as a new

addition to the Language Acquisition

department. By Leslie Dudek

Katie Gray, High School

Katie Gray comes from the Painted Post area. She graduated from West High School.

She attended Elmira College, University of Buffalo, and Corning Community College

receiving her degree in Chemistry. Prior to working for the Corning-Painted Post School

District, Katie student taught at West High School and taught for 3 years in the Virginia

public school system. She also worked at Corning Community College teaching a

biochemistry/organic lab course. Katie is currently teaching honors and regents chemistry

at the CPP high school.

Katie lives and breathes the CPP school district. She has always wanted to return to

this district because she has a fine appreciation for the Corning School District. Katie

enjoys her students, what they bring to the classroom, appreciates the resources that the

community has to offer and is excited to share her passion for her discipline with her

students. By Sue Seip

Kristie Haberstroh, Gregg

Kristie Haberstroh is the new School

Social Worker at Gregg Elementary.

Kristie joins our district with many years

of experience primarily at GST BOCES

and Elmira City Schools. She also

worked in Michigan helping children at a

psychiatric hospital.

In addition to working at Gregg,

Kristie is also employed part-time at

Clinical Associates where she provides

counseling to adults. Kristie lives in

Horseheads with her husband and her two

children. Jimmy is 11 and Olivia is 8. She

enjoys traveling and spending time with

her family. Kristie is compassionate and

knowledgeable and has jumped right in to

her position at Gregg.

By Karin Benjamin

Charlie Havens, Middle School

Charlie Havens is a 2011 graduate of

Elmira College. There he received a BA in

Social Studies Education grade 7-12.

Before joining the staff at the Corning-

Painted Post Middle School this fall,

Charlie spent the last 4 years as the Parks

and Recreation Director for the Village of

Waverly, New York. His main

accomplishment was managing the

summer youth program that grew from 75

kids to 160 last summer.

Charlie is also an experienced coach.

He has spent the last 15 years as the JV

baseball coach at Waverly. Right now he

is finishing up his 4th and final season as

the modified football coach and he also

coached cross country for 1 season both at

Waverly. He is now looking forward to

any opportunity he may have to join the

Hawks coaching staff. In his leisure time

Charlie enjoys running, golfing, and travel.

By Geoff Waksmunski

Eric Hansen, Middle School

Eric Hansen joined the CPPMS team

this fall 2015. He is a graduate of Ithaca

College with a Chemistry Degree and a

Masters Degree in Education from SUNY

Cortland. Prior to joining the district he

taught High School Chemistry and Middle

School General Science at West Canada

Valley for 6 years. This year he is teaching

7th and 8th grade science at

CPPMS. Outside of the work day, he

enjoys training and competing in triathlons.

By Jason Tahirak

Tammi Hoffman, Smith

Calvin U. Smith is very proud to

welcome Ms. Tammi Hoffman, our newest

member to our amazing staff. Ms.

Hoffman is a native of our area, graduating

from Campbell-Savona High School and

Keuka College. She has had educational

experience teaching in Baltimore,

Maryland for the past four years in both

Head Start and intensive needs classrooms.

CUS is extremely happy to welcome

Tammi on as a kindergarten teacher. In her

leisure time, Ms. Hoffman enjoys

skiboarding, driving her motorcycle, and

spending time with her beloved dog.

Welcome, Tammi! We are so happy to

have you!

By Tricia Rosno

Linda Jankowski, High School

Linda Jankowski joined the CPPHS guidance department this summer replacing the

retiring Patrick Dwyer. Linda began her career as a guidance counselor in Elmira and

most recently worked at Corning West. After taking time away from her career to raise a

family we are excited to have Linda back as part of our guidance staff here at the CPP

high school.

Linda enjoys running and family ski trips when time allows and the weather cooperates.

She is a SUNY Brockport graduate and earned her master’s degree from Alfred

University. She brings experience to our department and has already proven to be a

valuable part of the guidance team. Linda has been making the transition back into her

career flawlessly. Adding a counselor that has experience working not only with high

school students but also within our own department has been invaluable. We all

appreciate her ability to step into the “Skates” left behind by Mr. D without missing a

beat. No small task for even a veteran counselor. By Brian Ross

Allison Kittner, Winfield

Allison "Alli" Kittner is our new

third grade teacher at Winfield Street

Elementary School, and she has started the

school year off with spectacular energy and

enthusiasm. Alli grew up in Painted Post

and attended school through the Corning-

Painted Post School District. She

graduated from West High and then

attended Corning Community College.

From there, she received her degree from

Mansfield University, and then Alli earned

her Master's from Walden University.

Professionally,

Alli has worked as a teacher

substitute, a one-on-one assistant, and a

teaching assistant for AIS. Alli is highly

motivated and makes time for some

hobbies. One example is photography! Alli

is married and has one adorable daughter

(and a pretty awesome dog). Winfield is

super excited to have Alli join our team.

By Bernadette Gordon

Heather Lee, Carder

Heather Lee is the new 15:1 teacher

at Carder Elementary School. She is

unique in that her classroom actually

covers three grade levels (2nd, 3rd, and 4th)!!

She is a graduate of Summit University in

Pennsylvania and Western Governor’s

University. Heather is a newlywed. On

July 3rd, 2015, she married Mike Lee who

is an IT Director for a company out of

Tennessee and a partner in a small business

– Employment Solutions. They reside in

Horseheads, NY with their two cats.

Heather is a local girl. She graduated

from Twin Tiers Christian Academy. Her

parents both work for the District. Her

mom, Becky Scouten, is a secretary at the

high school, and her dad, Mark Scouten, is

the caretaker of our stadium.

Heather is excited about this school year

and ready for the challenge! We are glad to

have her with us!

by Aileen Stratford and Laurie Robinson

Amanda Mase, Severn

I would like to take the opportunity to

welcome Mrs. Amanda Mase to the Severn

Elementary Family. As a Corning native,

Amanda comes to Severn after multiple

long term substitute positions, including

her last position as an ELL/ ESOL teacher

at both Erwin Valley and Severn. Amanda

will be teaching 5th grade this year and her

experiences within the classroom and

working on curriculum will surely help her

be a successful teacher.

Amanda and her husband, Mark, reside

in the Corning Area. She is a mother of

two beautiful girls, Cameron and Emma,

both students within the Corning-Painted

Post School District. When not spending

long hours at school, Amanda can be seen

and heard at her daughter’s soccer games

and gymnastic meets. In her free time,

Amanda loves to cook and bake amazing

foods. By Ken Watson

Yvonee Moses, High School

Yvonne Moses has joined the Special

Education department at the Corning

Painted Post High School! She is certified

in both secondary math and Special

Education. Yvonne comes to us from the

Watkins Glen School District, where she

was most recently – a long term sub in

their math department.

Yvonne began her education at Wells

College, then transferred to

Mansfield University where she received

both her bachelors and master’s degrees.

Currently, Yvonne is co-teaching in

Environmental Science, North American

Wildlife and Algebra B. She is providing

academic support to our students

throughout the day as well.

In her spare time, Yvonne enjoys

crafting, sewing and fostering the growth

of her green plants! Yvonne loves

spending time with her family – and

especially – her two nieces, who keep her

busy! She enjoys reading and singing –

and – freely admits, she loves to “sing like

a fool”!!!!!

We are excited to have her in our

department and are looking forward to

channeling her expertise!

By Jamie Smith

Lexi Scialdone, High School

As a new French teacher in the

High School, Lexi enjoys working

with students and helping them feel

capable of learning French. Lexi

grew up in Poland, NY and studied

at SUNY Oneonta and SUNY

Cortland. She even lived in France

on two different occasions to study

at the Institute Catholique de Paris

and Université de Nice. She enjoys

staying fit and has taken up running

this summer – she recently

completed her first color run 5K.

by Leslie Dudek

Lauren Shafer, Middle School

Lauren Shafer brings an array of

experiences to our district. After

graduating from Corning East High she

attended SUNY Genesso then spent one

year in Ireland working with adults with

developmental disabilities. She continued

her learning experiences in Germany

where she spent 2 ½ years teaching

English to preschoolers. Lauren just

recently ran the ½ at the Wine Glass

Marathon her training included chasing

her puppy around the house!

By Tammie Edinger

Sagrario Simon-Rueda, Middle

School

I am delighted to introduce you to our

newest Language Acquisition (Spanish)

teacher, Ms. Sagrario Simon Rueda.

Sagrario is from Mexico, City. She

attended Ithaca College where she earned

her degree in Spanish Literature and her

Master of Arts in Teaching. Sagrario is a

wonderful addition to the foreign language

department as she brings with her native

Spanish and Mexican culture. She has

many exciting ideas which she is eager to

share with the students in our district. Her

hobbies include running, dancing, cooking,

reading, watching movies, and going out to

dinner. When I asked Sagrario why she

became a teacher she said, “I believe that

all kids can achieve great things with great

teachers, and I want to be one of those

teachers.” by Patty Becerril-Drapikowski

Heather Shupp, Middle

School

Our new 8:1:1 teacher at the

Corning Painted Post Middle School,

Heather Shupp, comes to us with

many years of Education experience.

She began her teaching career in

Andover Central School District

teaching Middle School. She then

taught in Bolivar-Richburg School

District before going to the Elmira

City School District. She spent the

last seven years teaching Special

Education and Math in Elmira.

In addition to teaching, Ms.

Shupp has a Real Estate License and

enjoys showing and selling houses in

the area. She and her husband are also

in the process of building a new home.

Her hobby is photography and also

spends time with her two dogs.

We are very excited to welcome

her to our 8:1:1 program here at the

Middle School.

by Amy Ferreira

Anne Walters, Carder

The third grade team at Carder is so

excited to welcome Anne Walters as our

newest third grade teacher! Anne grew up

in Corning, attending Carder (yes, she is a

Carder alum!), CFA, and East High. She

then went to Catholic University where she

earned a Bachelor’s Degree in education.

Her graduate work was done at George

Washington University. Anne also has a

CELTA – Certificate in Teaching English to

Speakers of Other Languages.

Anne had the unique experience of

living and working in the Republic of

Georgia for 4 years. While there she taught

English to 7-12 grade students and also

taught first grade. She more recently

taught third grade at St. Mary our Mother

in Horseheads.

When she’s not in the classroom,

Anne enjoys dance, travel, and time with

her husband and daughter. Anne’s

enthusiasm and drive make her a valuable

member of Carder’s third grade team!By Jennifer Powers

Jessica Wenck, Middle School

I am happy to introduce Jessica

Wenck, newly hired Speech-Language

Pathologist assigned to the middle

school. Jessica comes to us after working

for Elmira City Schools for 5 years. She

should be a familiar face to many as she

has worked at Corning's Special Education

summer school program for 5 years.

Jessica grew up in a suburb of

Poughkeepsie, NY and earned both her

Bachelor's and Master's degrees at SUNY

Geneseo. She resides in Elmira with her

husband, Timothy, and their newborn baby,

Peter. Outside of school, she enjoys

spending time with her family and friends,

cooking, baking, and reading. Jessica

really enjoyed working summers for C-PP

and is excited to be on board

permanently. Welcome, Jessica!

By Jennifer Glosenger

Chris Winch, Carder

Carder School is proud to introduce

their newest 4th grade teacher, Chris

Winch. Chris grew up in Spencer and

graduated from the Spencer-Van Etten

School District. He received his

undergraduate degree from Utica College

in 2014. Playing throughout high school

and college, football has always been an

integral part of Chris’s life. It continues to

be so today, and much of his dedication

and drive in life can be attributed to both

playing and coaching football. Chris is

also currently working on his master’s

degree in special education at Binghamton

University.

Chris currently lives in Horseheads

with his fiance’, Courtney, and their 21-

month old daughter, Lilly. They are

excited to be planning their June 2016

wedding! In his little bit of spare time,

Chris enjoys exercise and fitness and is

sure to squeeze in an NFL game or two on

Sundays. A HUGE welcome to Chris

Winch! By Kristy Cowulich

David Woodard, Middle School

David Woodard is a new seventh

grade Humanities/Individuals &

Societies teacher at Corning-Painted

Post School District. He comes to

the Corning-Painted Post School

district from Oklahoma. Even

though he is new to the district, this

will be David’s 11th year as a middle

school teacher. He also coaches

junior varsity football at Corning-

Painted Post High School and

baseball at Corning Community

College. David enjoys spending time

with his family, coaching athletics

and outdoors activities. “I feel very

fortunate to be able to contribute to

the success of the Corning-Painted

Post School District,” said Woodard.

Chelsea Xidis, Middle School

Corning-Painted Post Middle School is pleased to welcome

Chelsea Xidis as an 8th grade art teacher. Chelsea comes to us with

a variety of experiences from teaching elementary art at Holy Family

Elementary to running her own studio for people with intellectual

and physical disabilities with the Steuben County ARC. Originally

from Bath, NY, Chelsea attended Walden University and Elmira

College where she met her husband Nick Xidis. The students at

CPPMS are lucky to have Chelsea as she emphasizes the students'

individuality and creatively while bring her expertise in printmaking,

ceramics, and drawing into the classroom.

By Megan Wukovitz

2015-2016 CTA Executive Meetings

September 24

October 8

November 5

November 19

December 3

December 17

January 7

January 21

February 4

February 18

March 3

March 17

April 7

April 21

May 5 (Officers’ Election)

May 19

June 2 (Budget Vote)

June 16 (as needed)

Location: High School Media Center @ 3:45

2015-2016 CTA Building RepresentativesCO (1)

Janette Crawford Helping Teacher 14-16

HSLC (1)

Lauren Frazer Science 15-17

CR (3)

Kay Keeney Grade 2 14-16

Erin Merrill Reading 14-16

Lauri DiGiulio Special Ed. 15-17

EV (2)

Kristen Bennitt K 14-16

GR (2)

Cathy Nagle Grade 2 14-16

Kerry Stone Speech 14-16

SV (3)

Angela Nichiporuk K 14-16

Audrey Voorhees K 14-16

Karen Cleary Grade 2 15-17

CUS (2)

Trish Shafer AIS 14-16

Mitch Peck Grade 3 15-17

WN (2)

Shawn Finan Reading 14-16

Doreen Bonomo Grade 1 15-17

MS (8)

Melissa Morrison Special Ed 14-16

Elisabeth Hanley Special Ed 14-16

Christine Adams Art 14-16

Laurie Murphy Health 14-16

Patty Winningham Science 14-16

Ashley Bowers AIS 15-17

HS (10)

Stacie Martinec Media 14-16

Eric Griffin, Band 14-16

Lori Pruyne English 15-17

Matt Burch English 14-16

Megan Thomas Science 14-16

Keith Fisher Humanities 14-16

CTAR (non-voting) Cheryl Jordan